Skinny cat

[DC_MC]

I have a 10 year old Himalayan cat. She has always been a really picky eater and is just too skinny. Been feeding her dry Iams that was what she seemed to eat best. She got tired of that and tried canned fancy feast. She seemed to like that pretty good for a couple weeks but now isn’t eating it too well. She’s back to eating the dry Iams more. Any suggestions to try and get her to gain a little weight?

[ICamel]

Try adding some warm water to the dry cat food.

A little bit(tablespoon) of vanilla ice cream could be tempting to your cat.

[Cristian123]

From my own experience, I can say that it is essential to monitor your cat's weight. If you notice that it loses weight, there might be health issues, so I'd recommend addressing a vet. In case your pet is healthy, you need to change the nutrition. There exist high-calorie food that can help gain weight fast. I found a good list here https://www.catfoodpoint.com/best-high-calorie-cat-food-for-weight-gain/. My cat liked Hound&Gatos canned food.

[Udicomo]

I came across this problem so it took a long time to find the best option. We tried buying various cat food.

[toedtoes]

You know more than anyone what your cat might like.

If you have suddenly decided that your finicky "always has been thin" cat is looking "too thin" then you need to get her checked now. Waiting until she stops eating to see a vet is too late.

[DC_MC]

She does eat every day. I am giving her the dry Iams along with fancy feast. She has never been a big eater and I’m not sure she has really lost much weight. I just think she is too thin and was trying to plump her up a bit. If she stops eating or acting sick I will find a vet wherever we are but for now I was just hoping to find something to get her to eat more.

[dturm]

Is she losing weight?? If so I wouldn't wait until October to have her checked out. Doximom11 gave a good differential diagnosis of potential issues.

BTW, cats are different than dogs regarding eating. They can and do cause serious issues by just not eating sufficient amounts. With dogs there is almost always some underlying issues either medical or behavioral with longer term inappetence. Cats can have underlying issues but sometimes can put themselves into liver disease just by not eating.

Lesson: a cat not eating for days should be considered an immediate problem.

Doug, DVM

[soon2bexpat]

Hartz Delectables. Different textures available, plus senior & senior+ vesions.

[Pawz4me]

I'd try keeping some of the Iams dry available for her all the time, and offering several small meals a day of different canned foods with different flavors and textures. In addition to Fancy Feast, many cats seem to like Friskies canned food. And it's relatively inexpensive, so not too much cost to experiment with a few different flavors. Despite the stereotype of the finicky cat who only wants her favorite food, there are lots of cats who want variety. I kept several brands/types of canned food for one of our previous cats. He rarely got the same thing more than twice in a row, and he liked it that way.

[doxiemom11]

Skinny old cats: Why some senior cats lose weight. What's going on? Well-recognized causes of weight loss in old cats include chronic renal disease, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and dental problems, to name a few.

[DC_MC]

She had regular appointment last winter and we are traveling for summer now. She feels fine and acts completely normal. Had always been a really picky eater and we just think she is a bit too thin. Will take her to vet when we return to AZ in October but I was just gonna try and find something she likes to eat better. She has never eaten any kitty treats. Just refuses. Also won’t eat any people tuna or like a piece of real chicken or turkey. When I bought Fancy Feast she seemed to really like the gravy ones but a couple weeks later she just isn’t too interested. She has pretty much eaten like this all her life

[JKJavelin]

Agree with above, but will add, try to find a cat-only vet if possible. Our 12 year old was sick last November and our regular vet checked her and said no cancer and gave meds, but we kept calling and took her back and mid January he said she's full of cancer. We were then referred to a cat-only vet by my wife's friend, but too late. Horrible experience. And the regular vet has the highest rating around.
Do it now!
JK

[Pawz4me]

Has she had a thorough vet check with blood work recently? At 10 I'd want to get a senior blood panel done, check for kidney and thyroid function, have her teeth checked, etc. All those and more can cause weight loss and/or change in appetite.